Island



(No Model.)

W. AMOS. GOUPLING JOINT.

Patented 118.11.28-, 1890.

.En 1li @wml Y m'enr UNITED STATES PATENT OEETCE.

'IVILLIAM AMOS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

COUPLlNG-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 420,220, dated January 28, 1890.

Application iilecl April 13, 1889. Serial No.

T @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM Amos, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Coupling-Joints for the Heating and Conveying Pipes of Railroad-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The great danger of fire and consequent loss of life in the case of a railroad accident makes it desirable to provide a substitute for the car-heating stoves heretofore employed, and it is also desirable to be able to prevent the sparks from iiying into the cars through the open doors or windows; and it is the object of my invention to provide a suitable coupling-joint for the pipes employed to con- 'vey the exhaust-steam and products of combustion through the cars of the train for heating purposes; and my invention consists in the improved construction of the couplingjoint of the pipe, as hereinafter fully set forth.

Figure l represents an elevation of a locomotive and train of cars provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sec.- t-ion of the coupling-joint in the heating and conveying pipe between the passenger-cars. Fig.,3 is a longitudinal section of the coupling-joint between the forward car and the tender of the locomotive. Fig. 4. represents a transverse section of a coupling-pipe and an elevation of the spring-guide for supporting the same.

In the accompanying comotive, B the tender, ger-cars of the train.

To the base of the smoke-stack D ofthe locomotive is attached the heating and conveying pipe E, which passes rearward over the tender, thence over the main roof j of the iirst car O, and under the monitor-roof f of the same, thus reaching the interior of the car for heating purposes.

he exhaust-st eam and the products of combustion from the furnace of the locomotiveboiler can be made to pass either directly into the atmosphere through the smoke-stack D, or rearward through the heating and conveying pipe E, by means of a valve, the said drawings, A is the loand C O the passenvalve `being attached to the rock-shaft a, to the outer end of which is secured the arm b,

307,174.. (No model.)

which is connected tothe hand-lever c in the cab of the locomotive by means of the rod d, so that the engineer by moving the hand-lever c can direct the exhaust steam and heated products of combustion, as desired, either wholly through either the heating and conveying pipe E or the smoke-stack D, or partially through both. The engineer can thus control the amount of exhaust-steam and products of combustion to be delivered to the pipe E for car-heating purposes.

The pipe-sections fm, which extend over the top of the cars C, are provided with a coupling-joint G at the connected ends of the cars O O, the construction of the said joint being shown in the enlarged longitudinal section, Fig. 3. The pipe-section m extends under the monitor-roof f of the car, and is loosely held at its ends by means of the annular guides g g, which -fit around the said pipe and are attached to the main roof j.

The ends of the pipe-section m, which eX- tends from end to 4end of the car C, are provided with the enlargements n, having a flange o, to which is secured the flanged ring p, and within the hollow of the enlargement n at one end of the pipe-sectionm of each car is placed the end fr of the coupling-section pipe m', the said end r being provided with an annular collar or flange s, of rounded or beveled form, to it a corresponding rounded or beveled annular seat s at the base of the enlargement n, and between the iiange or collar s and the iianged ring p is placed the spiral spring t, which serves to keep the joint between the coupl ling-pipe m and the pipe m properly tight.

Upon the main roof j of the car is secured the pipe-holding guide H, which is shown in enlarged front view in Fig. 4, the said guide consisting of a fixed ring V, secured to the roof of the car by means of its attachingbase u, the movable ring w, adapted to receive and surround the coupling-pipe, and the opposite spiral springs a: a: arranged at right angles to each other, so as to preserve the ring w and the inclosed coupling-pipe m in a central position within the ring The coupling-pipe m is provided with a bellshaped enlargement n', which is adapted to receive the forward end 'y of the couplingpipe m of the opposite car O and to allow a limited endwise movement therein, the said forward end y being provided with an annular elastic packing-ring a', of suitable material, which is held between the rings b b', thus forming a tight movable joint. The coupling-pipe fm is attached to the pipe-section m of the car to which it belongs, and is supported in the same manner as the opposite coupling-pipe m hereinbefore described, and the cars are each provided at one end with a coupling-pipe m and at the opposite end with a coupling-pipe m, whereby when the cars are brought together on the track the coupling-joint ofthe pipes fm. m will be readily formed, it being only required that the cars should be arranged with their proper ends adjacent to each other without reversal upon the track.

' In order to provide' for coupling the locomotive and tender to either end of the car or train of cars, as desired, I provide a modified coupling-joint G between the tender B and the forward car C, the said joint being shown enlarged in the longitudinal section, Fig. 3, the tender B being provided with the fixed pipe m and a coupling-pipe m, upon which -is placed the movable sleeve n, which, when moved forward and secured in position by means of the screws b or otherwise, will serve to form the bell-shaped enlargement to receive the forward end y of the coupling-pipe m of the forward car C; but when the coupling is to be made with the enlarged end of the pipe m at the other end of the car the sleeve n is to be drawn back, as shown by the dotted lines, Fig. 3, and then the end y of the coupling-pipe m", which isprovided with a packing-ring a', 4will properly enter the enlarged end of the coupling-pipe m of the car O to form the joint.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the main heating or conveying pipe extending lengthwise of a railroad-car and having enlarged ends, of the coupling-pipe held within the enlarged end of the main pipe, which also forms a seat for the end of the coupling-pipe, the spring arranged upon the coupling-pipe and adapted to hold the same to its seat, and the springholder adapted to hold the spring within the main pipe and to form a joint, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the main heating or conveying pipe extending lengthwise of a railroad-car and having enlarged ends, of the coupling-pipe held within the enlarged end of the main pipe, which also forms a seat for the end of the coupling-pipe, the spring arranged upon the coupling-pipe and adaptedv to hold the same to its seat, the spring-holder adapted to hold the spring within the main pipe and form a joint, and the spring-guide for supporting the outer end of the couplingpipe, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the coupling-pipe provided with an exterior packing-ring and jointed to a main condnctingpipe, of the spring-guide for supporting the outer end of the coupling-pi pe, and the sliding bell-shaped sleeve arranged upon the couplingpipe, whereby the said pipe is adapted to form a coupling-joint at either end of a car, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the Inain heating or conveying pipe of a railroad-car, of a female coupling-pipe provided with an enlarged end and jointed to one end of the main pipe by means of the spring and spring-holder, the spring-guide for supporting the outer end of the said coupling-pipe, a male couplingpipe jointed to the opposite end of the main pipe by means of the spring and springholder, and the spring-guide for supporting the said coupling-pipe in proper position for coupling with the correspondingly jointed and supported female coupling-pipe of another car of the train, substantially as described.

WILLIAM AMOS. 

